Exhaust-operated whistle.



E. G. RAFF. EXHAUST OPERATED WH\STLE. APPLICATKON FILED SEPT. :0. 1911.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

ERNEST G. RAFF, on ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGN'OR To LIBERTY ACCESSORIES CORPORATION, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI,

A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

EXHAUST-OPERATED WHISTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31,1918.

Application filed September 10, 1917; Serial No. 190,540.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, ERNEST G. RAFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Exhaust-Open ated 'Whistles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to whistles or sig naling devices of the type that are operated by the exhaust gases of automobile engines, and has for its main object to provide a whistle which can be readily attached to the exhaust manifold of the engine and which is adapted to [be operated by a portion of the gases that pass through said manifold.

Another object is to provide a whistle of the character referred to which emits a soft and pleasing sound, the pitch of which can be varied at the will of the operator.

Another object is to provide a whistle of the character referred to that is accessible for purposes of cleaning, repair, etc. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter set out.

One type of so-called exhaust horn or whistle with which I am familiar is adapted to be arranged at the extreme rear end of the exhaust pipe. This type is open to two serious objections, namely,the fact that it is quickly rendered ineflicient by accumulation of road dust and mud, and the fact that when the entire exhaust gases are diverted from their usual path of travel to operate the whistle considerable back pressure is produced. which materially affects the operation of the engine. Another type of whistle is adaptedto be operated by the compressed gases in the cylinders of the en gine, but has the disadvantage of having to have finally ground and seated valves to operate against the relatively high cylinder pressure, and furthermore, gives forth a shrill, unpleasant sound, due to the high operating pressure. This type. also affects the efiiciency of the engine, owing tothe fact that whenever the whistle, is operated, the compression in the particular cylinder with which the whistle is connected is materially reduced. r My improved whistle is'connected to the exhaust manifold of the engine in such a manner that only a' portion of thefexhaust gases passing through said manifold are Styles ofinternal combustion utilized to operate the whistle, and therefore, it will be obvious that whenever my whistle is operated the effect will be actually beneficial to the engine, in that said whistle acts virtually as a muffler cut-out to relieve some of the back pressure that is caused by the gases passing through the mufller. The whistle comprises few simple parts on which no accurate machine work is necessary, which can be produced at a low cost of manufacture and which can be assembled and installed by unskilled labor.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sec-- tional view of a portion of an automobile, showing the exhaust manifold of the motor thereof equipped with a whistle constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View of the whistle.

Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view, taken approximately on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of certain parts of the whistle disassembled. Briefly described, my invention consists in an automobile whistle provided with means controlled by the operator of the automobile for varying the pitch of the sound emitted therefrom and which is constructed in such a manner that it can be easily and quickly installed on the exhaust manifold of various engines.

Referring, to the drawings, which illustrate one form of my invention, A designates an internal combustion engine provided with the usual exhaust manifold B through which the discharged gases pass on their way to the muffler (not shown).

My improved whistle comprises a tube or cylinder 1 that is carried by a member 2 which is in communication with the interior of the exhaust manifold. In practice I prefer to construct the member 2 in the shape of an elbow, one leg of which is provided with internal threads for receiving the tube 1, and the other leg being brazed or welded onto a strap 3 which is adapted to surround the manifold B. The portion of can' be drawn up"tightly bymeansof a bolt suitable means,

5 that passes through ears 6 on the underside thereof, thus clamping the whistle tightly injposition on's'aid exhaust manifold. If desired, suitable packing may be' interposed between the strap 3 and the manifold B adjacent the hole this point, but this'is not essential to the successful operation of my invention. 1 alsowish it to be understood that my invention is notlimited to the precise method just described for connecting the member 2 to the exhaust manifold B, as said connection could be made in various other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is obvious that on diiferent types of engines different methods of installing the whistle would be required, but it is not here deemed necessary to go into details as to the various obvious modifications which would present themselves. The whistle proper comprises a plug 7 that is inserted in the inner end of the cylinder 1 and secured'thereto by any such as a cross pin 8, as shown in Fig. 1, said plug being provided with a fiat spot or cut away portion 9 which allows a portion of the gases in the manifold B to escapeinto the cylinder 1 under certain conditions, to be hereinafter described. A piston valve or cylindrical plunger 10 slidably mounted in the cylinder 1 normally bears against the plug 7 under the influence of a coiled expansion spring 11 that is arranged between one end of said plunger and an abutment 12 that is threaded into the outer end of the cylinder 1, as shown in 7 into the cylinder 1 Fig. 2. When the plunger 10 is in its normal position, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it serves to prevent the gases in the manifold B from escaping through the cut away part of the plug 7 intothe cylinder 1, and also closes an aperture 13 cut in the tube 1 adjacent theinner end thereof, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. An operatingcable or cord 14 is secured to the plunger 10 in. any suitable manner, such as by means of the eye 15, and said cord passes through an openin 16 in the abutment 12 and leads to a point within oonveni ent reach of the operator of the car.

When the cord 14L is pulled by the operlater in a vdirection to compress the spring .11, the piston valve or plunger uncovers the cutaway portion 9 of the plug 7 and allows a'portion of the gases to pass therethrough from which they escape through the aperture 13 and produce a mu- By moving the plunfroin the plug 7 the v emitted from the aperture 13 canbe varied at will, and when the operator releases the cord- 14, the plunger 10 will, under., the influence of the spring 11,

r tu t he 1 tee 1l n r t shew; -F 1g..2; of the drawings, and thus automati- 1, so as to preclude possibility of the exhaust gases leaking at or eyelets 17 arranged in the dash of the 1 automobile, but the particular manner of 7 leading the operating cable to within convenient reach of the driver of the automobile can be varied atwill. a In the drawings forming part of this specification I have shown the whistle as being arranged in a substantially horizon tal position on the exhaust manifold, but it is obvious that said whistle could be ar ranged in a vertical or an inclined position without changing the mode or result ofoporation. V v V. 1 From the'foregoing itwill be seen that 1 have devised a whistle for automobile engines that is easily accessible for purposes of cleaning, repair, etc.;thatis not exposed to road dustand mud; that will emit a pleasingmusical sound, not a shrill siren whistle, owing to the fact that it is operated by the gases in the exhaust manifold which-are of only a few pounds pressure, a whistle in which the pitchof the sound emitted therefrom can be varied at the will of the operator; that comprises few simple partsthat can be manufactured cheaply and which can be readily installed onthe exhaust manifold of an automobile engine by simply .drillinga hole in the manifold at any accessible point 100 and clamping the supporting strap-around tlie'same. v V 1 Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 1

1. Ina signaling device adapted to be operated bythe exhaust gases inthe exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine in advance of the muillei", a hollow member that projects through an opening formed in said 110 pipe, aclainping ring secured to said member and adapted to encircle said pipe and be v clamped thereto whereby said inembei' ,is held in place on said pipe, and an audible signal secured to said hollow member.

2. In a signaling device adapted to be operated by the exhaust gases'in the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine, a hollow member mounted on said pipe b tween 7 the engine and a muffler, a'flan'ge surround- 12o ing said member intermediate its ends whereby the lower portion of the member may project through and be suspended'i'n Said pipe, a band connected to said member constructed to surround said pipe and means 25 to rigidly secure said band to Said pipe and an audible signal connected to the other end of said member.

3. In as 'nalingdeviceadapted a be o er'atee'by the exhaustgase's in the exhaust 13c pipe of an internal combustion engine, a hollow member mounted on said pipe between the engine and a mufiier, a flange surrounding said member intermediate its ends whereby the lower port-ion of the member may project through and be suspended in said pipe, a band connected to said member constructed to surround said pipe and means to rigidly secure said band to said pipe, and 10 an audible signal connected to the other end per end of said to vary the pitc toward or away Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressin Washington, D. 0.

of said member, end of said member with a port between it and said member,

a plug secured in the upper a tube secured to the upmember and having a port,

a manually controlled plunger in said tube adapted to close of the tube; said said port and said Opening plunger also being adapted h of the signal as it is moved from said port and opening.

ERNEST G. RAFF.

g the Commissioner of Patents, 

